* OILERS: Police are investigating a woman's claim she was sexually assaulted by cornerback Richard Johnson last April, the Austin (Texas) American-Statesman reported.

The article said that Johnson told police he met the woman at Club XS in South Austin on April 5 and drove her to his room at the Doubletree Hotel in North Austin, where he had sex with her, according to an Austin police report.

* SAINTS: Guard Derek Kennard, on injured reserve since mid-September, will have a torn chest muscle surgically repaired next week and will miss the rest of the season.

Kennard was placed on injured reserve Sept. 17 after tearing his right pectoral muscle while lifting weights at the team's practice facility. He returned to workouts Wednesday as a member of the practice roster.

One hour into the workout, Kennard left the field after re-injuring the muscle while making a routine block against defensive end Frank Warren. Kennard returned to injured reserve, leaving an opening on the five-man practice roster.